Half a day earlier — Las Noches
After the brief meeting ended, Ulquiorra Cifer left the main hall of Las Noches alone and slowly made his way back toward his palace.
"Yo, Ulquiorra!"
Nnoitra Gilga quickly caught up from behind and reached out to stop him.
"I've got a few more questions for you."
"I've already said everything that needed to be said at the meeting."
Though Ulquiorra stood only 169 cm tall compared to Nnoitra's towering 215 cm—like a marmot beside a giraffe—it did nothing to diminish his cold, dismissive attitude.
"Hey now, don't be so cold," Nnoitra waved his hand carelessly. "I'm just being kind enough to help you kill that guy."
"Nnoitra…" Ulquiorra kept his hands in his pockets and replied indifferently, "Lord Aizen has already ordered that we are to take no action until the enemy reaches Las Noches. Have you… forgotten?"
"Heh heh heh, I wouldn't dare disobey Lord Aizen."
Nnoitra's sharp laughter echoed through the quiet corridor.
"I'm just going to kill those traitors who betrayed Las Noches. And while I'm at it… crush a little insect."
"Do as you wish."
Ulquiorra didn't even spare him a glance and walked past, his soft black socks and white shoes tapping lightly against the granite floor.
"Tch…"
Nnoitra clicked his tongue, hoisted his twin crescent scythe onto his shoulder, and headed in the opposite direction, soon approaching the exit of Las Noches.
At that moment, he suddenly heard Ulquiorra call out from the end of the corridor:
"Nnoitra."
"Hm?" Nnoitra stopped and glanced sideways.
Ulquiorra wore a faint, unusual smile. "The one called Fūjin Taichi… is strong."
"Is that so?"
Nnoitra slowly ran his long tongue across his lips and sneered.
"Keh-heh-heh… Then I'll personally teach him what 'despair' really means."
"..." Ulquiorra said nothing more. His green eyes lingered on Nnoitra's retreating figure before he quietly turned and left.
After exiting Las Noches, Nnoitra spread his long arms beneath the night sky as if bathing in the moonlight, his voice tinged with excitement.
"Oh-ha... I smell it! The sweet scent of blood! Closer... closer... oh, oh, urgh, ahhh! I can't take it, I can't stand it anymore, aaaaah—!"
With a low growl, a bloodthirsty red light flickered in his single eye. Rising onto his toes, his body tensed—
And in an instant, he shot forward like an arrow released from a bow, crossing miles in a flash.
The moment he spotted Fūjin Taichi, Nnoitra launched the first strike—swinging his crescent scythe in a savage arc from Taichi's flank.
…
Seireitei — Assembly Hall
Thump!
Yamamoto Genryūsai slammed his wooden cane heavily against the floor. His weathered eyes slowly swept over the Captains lined up on either side of him. He spoke in a deep, resonant voice: "It has been some time. Tell me, are the Zanpakutō in your hands still sharp?"
"!!!"
Eight captains—excluding Kaien Shiba, who was stationed in Karakura Town; Fūjin Taichi, who had ventured into Hueco Mundo; and Kenpachi Zaraki, who had been lost for half a month and still had not returned—were all startled.
They could not understand why the Captain-Commander would suddenly ask such a question at a captains' meeting.
"Hmph." Yamamoto habitually narrowed his left eye and coldly scanned the silent captains with his right:
Captain of Second Division, Soi Fon.
Captain of Fourth Division, Retsu Unohana.
Captain of Fifth Division, Toshiro Hitsugaya.
Captain of Sixth Division, Byakuya Kuchiki.
Captain of Seventh Division, Sajin Komamura.
Captain of Eighth Division, Shunsui Kyoraku.
Captain of Twelfth Division, Mayuri Kurotsuchi.
Captain of Thirteenth Division, Jushiro Ukitake.
The captains had no idea what had gotten into Yamamoto Genryusai today. Some looked confused, others puzzled, others simply numb as they gazed at him, searching his expression for answers.
Yamamoto's face was stern, his voice unusually imposing.
"Soul Society stands at the brink of life and death—and yet you sit here idly, occupying your posts without action?"
"???"
His words were like a cannonball crashing into a fishpond, leaving the captains utterly bewildered. Each of them wondered who had angered the Captain-Commander so deeply.
Yet these captains were all seasoned veterans with their own calculations. Though they knew Yamamoto was waiting for someone to respond, none wished to be the first to speak. An awkward silence filled the hall.
"Captain-Commander!"
At last, the hot-tempered Soi Fon could not hold back. "What do you mean by that?"
"Hmph." Yamamoto glanced at her and spoke in a deep voice.
"Several days ago, news arrived from the Human World. A group calling themselves the 'Visored' appeared in Karakura Town. They not only do they possess the powers of a Shinigami, but they can also control the power of a Hollow!!"
"The Visored? What's that?"
The young Toshiro Hitsugaya, unfamiliar with the events of 110 years ago involving the defection of several captains and vice-captains, looked completely confused.
"So they've been discovered… those people…"
The well-informed Shunsui Kyoraku and Jushiro Ukitake exchanged a glance, concern evident in their eyes.
Meanwhile, Byakuya Kuchiki maintained his usual silence. Since becoming captain, he had mastered one principle: if it does not concern you, remain detached.
Straightforward by nature, Sajin Komamura asked bluntly: "Captain-Commander, who exactly are these 'Visored'?"
Yamamoto studied the captains' reactions before replying:
"According to intelligence brought back by Captain Mayuri Kurotsuchi, they are the very individuals who defected from Soul Society 110 years ago."
"!!?"
All eyes immediately turned to Mayuri. The looks from Kyoraku and Ukitake were especially strange—like old cats watching a dog catch mice.
Even behind his mask, Mayuri felt the pressure of their stares. Internally cursing the Captain-Commander for dragging him into trouble, he chuckled lightly.
"I merely happened to review some archival materials and learned about the incident of captain and vice-captain defections back then. Nothing remarkable."
"The Visored have been hiding in the Human World for a century, and Soul Society has failed to detect them," Yamamoto continued gravely. "Their sudden appearance now likely has something to do with Sosuke Aizen."
He paused, sweeping his gaze across the captains.
"However, due to certain historical complications, we cannot yet determine whether the Visored are friend or foe.
Therefore, Soul Society must prepare for a two-front war—against both the Visored and Aizen. Effective immediately, Eighth Division will closely monitor the Visored's movements."
"…Understood," Kyoraku replied softly, lowering his straw hat to conceal the worry on his face.
"Furthermore!"
Yamamoto's eyes burned as he stared ahead.
"I hereby order Captain Soi Fon of Second Division to lead the Onmitsukidō to Karakura Town immediately and apprehend the criminals Kisuke Urahara and Yoruichi Shihoin!"
"What?!" Soi Fon was stunned. "Yoru—Shihoin Yoruichi is in Karakura Town?! But… why?"
"Soul Society is in troubled times. I will eliminate every uncontrollable factor."
Yamamoto slowly closed his right eye as well, exhaling deeply.
"Especially in recent days, I have sensed it—a premonition. Soul Society is about to face a catastrophic disaster."
"But they provided tremendous assistance during Aizen's rebellion! For you to act against them now is—"
"Soi Fon!"
Though both his eyes were now closed, Yamamoto's authority remained unshaken.
"There is an old saying: To cling to minor righteousness while disrupting greater principles is to invert what is fundamental and what is trivial.
I am aware of your feelings toward Urahara and Shihoin. Precisely because of that, I am assigning you to apprehend them. This is—"
Before he could finish—
Whoosh!
A cross-shaped spatial tear suddenly ripped open inside the Seireitei Assembly Hall.
From it leapt a grotesque humanoid Arrancar, raising a massive twin crescent scythe and slamming it into the floor.
"BOOOOM!"
Smoke billowed. Flames burst outward. The violent shockwave lifted Yamamoto's waist-length white beard into the air like a carp streamer fluttering in the wind during a festival in the Human World.
Yet Yamamoto himself stood unmoving amidst the blast.
His eyes snapped open, blazing like shattered stars.
"You—"